Shoveling-board.



UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

NORMAN I. MILLIKEN, OF DE iKALB, ILLINOIS.

SHOVELING-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,662, dated December25, 1900. Application filed September 4, 1900. Serial No. 28,978. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN I. MILLIKEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at De Kalb, in the county of De Kalb and State of Illinois,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in End-Gates andShoveling-Boards; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tail-closures for wagon-bodies of the typeadapted to be used as an end-gate and a shoveling-board, the improvementresiding in the novel form of connections and mountings, which admit ofthe closure being readily shifted from one position to the other orremoved entirely, as may be required.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and characteristic features of the invention arenecessarily susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodimentof the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the end-gate closed. Fig. 2 isadetail view show-- ing the end-gate in position for use as ashoveling-board. Fig. 3 is a view showing the end-gate swung outward atthe bottom. Fig. @L is a detail view in elevation,showing the relationof the parts when the end-gate is closed. Fig. 5 is a top plan view.Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on the line X Xof Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is adetail View of the runner.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The sides 1 of the wagon-body are provided near their rear ends withspaced cleats 2, vertically arranged and attached to the boardscomprising the said sides in any substantial manner. The tail-closure 3,constituting the end-gate and the shoveling-board,is provided withtapering sides 4., constituting guards to prevent the contents fallingover the sides of the part 3 when used in the capacity of ashoveling-board. The part 3 will be designated as the end-gate, since itis used pri' 55 marily in this capacity and is stiffened andstrengthened transversely by a series of cleats 5.

Guide-bars 6 are secured to the rear ends of the sidesl andconsist,preferably,of anglel6o irons, oneleaf or wing being spaced fromsaid sides and the other win g being attached thereto, preferably bymeans of wooden strips 7 and hook-bolts 8, the latter passing throughthe sides 1 and their hooked ends engaging 65 the inner sides of thewooden strips 7, which are firmly attached to the outermost edge of thetransverse wings of the angle guide-bars 6. By loosening the nutsapplied to the outer ends of the hook-bolts 8 the latter can be 7oturned so as to liberate the wooden strips 7, thereby admitting of saidstrips and the attached guide-bars 6 being removed or placed inposition, as will be readily understood. The wooden strips 7 are fittedsnugly in the 75 space formed between the spaced cleats 2. An opening 9is formed in the upper end of each guide-bar and a curved slot 10 isprovided at the lower end of each guide-bar. Hooks 1l are applied to theupper end of the 8o end-gate 3 and are adapted to engage with theopenings 9 oflthe guide-bar 6, so as to hold the upper end of thetail-gate to the wagon-body when the lower end is swung outward, asshown in Fig. 3. Headed studs 12 85 are provided at the lower end of theend-gate and at the sides thereof to cooperate with the curved slots 10and hold the lower end of the gate to the wagon-body when the upper endis swung outward, as shown in Fig. 2, and 9o also to hold the end-gatein position when closed, as indicated in Fig. 4. The hooks 11 also serveto hold the end-gate closed against outward pressure from within.

Levers 13 have pivotal connection at their 95 upper ends with theguide-bars 6 and pass through runners 14n, having swivel connection withthe middle portion of the end-gate. These levers terminate at their freeends in hooks 15 and have bent portions 16 at their roo pivotal ends tocooperate with the runners 14 and prevent vertical displacement oftheendgate when the levers 13 are fastened. Catches 17 are provided nearthe lower ends of the sides 1 and are adapted to engage with the levers13 and hold them against casual displacement when the end-gate isclosed. As indicated most clearly in Fig. 4, the runners 14 receive thelower ends of the bent portions 16 of the levers, and when the latterare fastened it is practically impossible to elevate the end-gate andeffect disengagement of the headed studs 12 from the curved slots l0.The hooks 15 constitute grips to be grasped when it is required toutilize the levers 13 when free from the catches 17 as means forelevating the end-gate and disengaging the headed studs from the curvedslots 10. These hooks also limit the downward movement of the end-gateand support it in the position shown in Fig. 2, when it can be used as ashoveling-board. The catches 17 are short bars secured to the wagon-bodyand extended rearwardly therefrom and having hooks at their rear ends toengage the levers 13. When engaging the levers with the ends of thecatches 17 or when disengaging them therefrom, considerable force mustbe exerted to cause the said levers to clear the terminals of the hookedends of said catches in order that the engagement or the disengagementmay be eected by a lateral movement of said levers, as will be readilycomprehended. The headed studs 12 may be attached to the. end gate inany desired manner, and, as shown, they are applied to strap-irons 18,which are let into the sides or guards 4.

The runners 14 are blocks of oblong formation and provided with slots19, through which the levers 13 are adapted to run or slide, and theseblocks have a swivel connection with metal tips 20, applied to themiddle cleat 5 of the end-gate. A pivot-fastening 21 is passed throughtransverse openings 22, intersecting the slot 19, and is concealed fromview by means of a lever. In order that the head of the pivot-fasteningmay not obstruct the slot 19 or interfere with the free working of theparts 14 and 13, its head is countersunk in the inner or remote side ofthe runner. Each runner is provided with an extension 23, which isadapted to engage with the adjacent guide-bar 6 in such a manner asto.prevent outward displacement of the sides 1 when subjected to greatpressure from within. The runners 14 are adapted to slide freely uponthe levers, and their swivel connection with the metal tips 20 admits oftheir turning to prevent any binding between the parts 13 and 14.

Clips 24 are applied to the upper end of the gate 3 and are adapted toengage over the guide-bars 6 and prevent outward displacement of thesides l when subjected to outward pressure. These clips are rigidlyattached to the end portions of the topmost cleat 5, and their innerends are bent, as shown at 25, to enter grooves formed in the inner sideof the cleat 5, whereby the strain is materially removed from thefasteningswung outward and downward at its upper bolt and from the bodyof the end-gate.A The; il', f Y

hooks 11 are preferably attached to the clipsj 24 for the sake ofstrength and durability. Y

When `the end-gate is closed, the headed Vj;m studs 12 are received inthe curved slots 10 and the extensions 23 of the runners 14 enj gagewith the guide-bar 6 and the levers 13 Y are held fast by the catches17. The sides 1 Y r are prevented from spreading by the clips 2475j2 andextensions 23 engaging with the guide- Y. bar 6, and upward displacementof the endgate is guarded against by the runners 14 and the inclinedportions 16 of the runners 14 in the manner stated. When it is requiredto .80' 1 permit the end-gate to swing outward at VitsfY lower end, thehoo'ksll are engaged with the Y openings 9 and the levers 13 aredisengageii r i *fi from the catches 17 and are lifted, so as toj;YY i'Y withdraw the headed studs 12 from the curved' 85'.VV slots 10, whenthe end-gate will swing out-'YA ward, as indicated in Fig. V3. Bydisengag'ing'Vv the hooks 11 from the opening 9 and ret'ain-VY ing theheaded studs 12 in engagement with l the curved slots l0 theY gate isadapted to be i9L end into the position shown in Fig. 2, Wheng.YY it isadapted for use as a shoveling-board. i From the foregoing it will beseen that theVVV end-gate can be readily applied to any form 95'v ofwagon-body and canbe detached therefroniv f or shifted to any position,the connections Q l and mountings being such as to admit of 'the'V V.attainment of the several results Ain a simpleig'V and effective manner.ice?,V Having thus-described the invention, what, is claimed as new is-1.' In combination with a wagon-body, andV an end-gate adapted to have avertical Vandi' ,Y Y a pivotal movement with reference to the m5V L'wagon-body, leverspivotally connected with f' the wagon-body andhavingbent ordeflected portions at their pivotal ends, .and runners c.having swivel connection with the end-,gate Y and sliding connectionwith said levers'andnroV adapted to cooperate with the bentport'ion's'f` thereof to prevent vertical displacement of -Yv theend-gate, substantially as specifledr Y Y Y 2. In combination with awagon-bodyVV and an end-gate, guide-bars secured to theY sides 11151.71'of the wagon-body near their rear ends, le: vers pivotally connectedwith the wagon v body, and runners having swivel connection Y' with theend-gate and sliding connection with Y Y said levers and formed withextensions to en-' xjzojYV gage with the aforesaid .guide-bars and'.prevent spreading of the sides of the wagon-body, g .f substantiallyas specified. 1 i i, 3. In combination with a wagon-body and j anend-gate therefor, guide-bars secured Ato V125 2 the sides of thewagon-body near their rear j Y ends, hooks attached to the upper end oftheV gate and adapted to engage with the said' guide-bars, headed studsprovided at the.'V L; lower end of the gate to cooperate with curved;Vi3d f slots formed in the lower ends of the Asaid' 'Y guide-bars, leverspivotally connected with E the Wagon-body and having hooked portionsguide-bars to prevent spreading of the sides ro at their free ends andbent portions at their ofthe Wagon-body, substantially as set forth.

pivotal ends, runners having swivel connec- In testimony whereof I affixmy signature tion with the end-gate and sliding connection in presenceof two Witnesses.

5 with said levers and formed with extensions to cooperate With theaforementioned guide- NORMAN I' MILLIKEN' {L S'] bars, catches to holdthe levers in a given Witnesses: position, and clips applied to theupper end of H. W. PRENTICE, the gate and adapted to cooperate with theWM. O. DUNANT.

